The sun was shining, the sky was bright blue and it was a pleasant 65 degrees outside -- and snowing.

Well, not really. But there was a lot of snow on the ground at Chester W. Morrison Elementary School in Menifee on Feb. 1 -- it just didn’t fall from the sky.

That didn’t damper the spirits of the school’s kindergartners and students in the transitional kindergarten class who enjoyed a romp in the cold, wet stuff during the special Snow Day at school.

Students in the lower two grades have been learning about weather and science, including what snow is, how it’s formed, what snowflakes look like and the animals that live in snowy habitats. As a part of the lessons, which also include reading books that include snow themes and writing about the snow, the children got to enjoy a big pile of the real thing -- with some help from a snow machine.

“A lot of them have never seen snow,” said transitional kindergarten teacher Christi Worthington.

The Menifee campus has held a Snow Day for more than 16 years and over the years, parents have donated sleds, saucers, plastic buckets and shovels for the students to use to play in the snow. Early in the morning on Snow Day, an ice company arrived at the school with 10 tons of ice in huge blocks and a shaving machine, and then proceeded to make the show in the outdoor kindergarten play area.

A pile of snow was placed over some hay bales to make a small hill, and the students took turns riding the sleds and saucers down the hill, with the help from volunteering dads, Ryan Drumm and Stan Erickson.

“He’s going to be ready for a nap after this,” said Ryan Drumm’s wife, Angela Drumm, who came to watch the snow play and help the teachers. Angela Drumm said her daughter Cadence, 5, has seen snow before in Big Bear, but was having fun anyway.

“This is fantastic. I wish all the schools did this,” Angela Drumm said.

When asked what his favorite activity with the snow was, 5-year-old Travis Reinhold said, “going on the sleds.” He added, “I made snowballs. I made snowmans. And I just sledded, that’s all.”

Families of students and the teachers from the kindergarten and transitional kindergarten classrooms funded the Snow Day by raising money and using carnival proceeds. “We have to raise the funds every year,” Worthington said.

The consensus from the teachers, visiting parents and students who had a blast sledding and digging in the snow all morning was that it was well worth the effort and expense.

Five-year-old Enoch Ruben said the sledding was also his favorite part of Snow Day.

“I never even went on a sled anyways,” Enoch said, adding that Snow Day at school was the first time he’d ever seen snow -- real or man-made.

“It’s awesome! I’m going to tell my mommy I went on a sled,” Enoch said with enthusiasm as he pulled off his wet gloves.